New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has promoted himself as a champion for affordable housing — yet the frontrunner has not taken a position on three pivotal housing-related ballot proposals.
The proposed measures — Nos. 2, 3 and 4 — have become a flashpoint between incumbent Mayor Eric Adams’ office and the City Council. If the measures pass, they would reshape the city’s zoning and affordable housing rules by consolidating zoning power with the mayor’s office, according to Speaker Adrienne Adams.
“New Yorkers deserve to know the truth about what’s at stake in this election,” the speaker said at a press conference against the ballot proposals Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s not about housing,” she said. “We all agree on the need to build housing, but these proposals are trying to exploit the real needs of New Yorkers.”
Speaker Adams, who is not related to the mayor, said these ballot proposals from the mayor use “misleading language” to confuse voters into checking the yes box.
“The language that voters will see on Nov. 4 on their ballot to describe these proposals actually hides their true impact,” Speaker Adams said. “Our neighborhoods will get less truly affordable housing, less investment, and will be vulnerable to more unwelcome, unwanted gentrification.”
Despite the speaker and other council members impassioned pleas against the ballot measures Tuesday, when asked by a Post reporter, none of the dozen or so council members present at the press conference said they had pressed Mamdani over the issue — or even said they were aware of Mamdani’s stance.
Only Majority Leader Amanda Farias said she had talked in “broad strokes” to the leading candidate about the important issue.
“I’ve spoken to him in broad strokes about the proposals and why the council has their side and is advocating for the community on it. But we have not deep dove into it,” Farias said.
Union leader Manny Pastreich, president of SEIU 32BJ, a union with 90,000 members in New York City, is urging his members to vote no on the controversial ballot measures. Pastreich said he had spoken to Mamdani about the ballot proposals to tell Mamdani how harmful Pastreich thinks the proposals would be to his members.
But Mamdani didn’t give a commitment either way, Pastreich said.
“I think he is very interested in how you make the process work faster and work better,” Pastreich said of his discussions with Mamdani on the issue.
While Mamdani has made affordability, including affordable housing, a centerpiece of his democratic socialist campaign, he has not taken a stance on these ballot initiatives. A Mamdani campaign spokesperson did not respond to The Post’s request for comment Tuesday about the ballot proposals.
A week ago Mamdani, 33, told a reporter he was still meeting with stakeholders “to better assess what the impacts and implications this will portend for housing supply and housing construction,” according to the report from NY1.
“The affordability issue for Mamdani is rapidly becoming whether he can afford to keep dodging straight positions,” quipped a veteran New York City political strategist to The Post Tuesday.
Sandy Nurse, one of the leaders of the City Council’s progressive caucus, which was quick to endorse Mamdani when he won the primary in June, had “no comment” when asked by a Post reporter about whether she thinks Mamdani should make his position on the measures public prior to November’s vote — as other candidates have done.
Independent candidate for mayor Andrew Cuomo said he supports the ballot proposals because he thinks they will eliminate local opposition and spur more affordable housing construction.
If passed, the measures would shift significant decision-making authority from neighborhood elected officials to appointees largely selected by the mayor, which Cuomo said could speed up affordable housing proposals because it will weaken member deference, the informal practice of deferring to a local member on land use decisions in their district.
Speaker Adams last month denied the Council follows a member deference policy as council members voted to approve a sublease that would override local Councilwoman Kristy Marmarato’s objections to a supportive housing community in her Bronx district.
But Republican candidate for mayor Curtis Sliwa said he is against the ballot measures because he wants more local control. Sliwa said the ballot proposals, if passed, will give the mayor’s office the chance to give handouts to wealthy developers.
“There’s no zoning anymore. You’re a developer? You’re a realtor? The price is right, let’s face it,” Sliwa said.
Eric Adams has dropped out of the race and will leave office as mayor at the end of the year regardless of the results of the election.
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